Sunday Post – 16th September, 2018 #Brainfluffbookblog #SundayPost

This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.

Last week I pulled a no-show here as I was staying with my daughter over the weekend and getting to know my adorable baby granddaughter. It was lovely touching base with all the grandchildren and chatting with my daughter until the wee small hours as she fed the baby. She has recommended a new comedy TV series, Upstart Crow, which she reckons is right up my street. I’m looking forward to catching up with William Shakespeare’s efforts to write his plays, in between his eventful commutes back to Stratford-Upon-Avon…

As for the rest of the week – I’ve now completed the course notes for my Creative Writing classes which are due to start tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing my students as it seems a very long time since we broke up for the summer. On Wednesday, I attended my Pilates class, but gave Fitstep a miss as I’ve been nursing a sore hip. I might alternate between the two, but right now until I’m a lot fitter, I think trying to do the two classes in one morning is simply beyond me. On Thursday, I started teaching Tim again and was delighted to hear that he is enjoying his Music course at Chichester college. Last night, we went to our favourite Chinese restaurant, The Dragon, for a meal, accompanied by my sister, to celebrate our twenty-third wedding anniversary – where does the time go? It certainly doesn’t feel as if we’ve been married for twenty-three years!

This week I have read:

The Poisoned Chalice Murder – Book 2 of the Black and Dods mystery series by Diane JanesTom Dod’s Aunt Hetty is worried – three sudden deaths have occurred in the sleepy village of Durley Dean. They might seem like tragic accidents, but Aunt Hetty isn’t so sure. After all, all three took a stand against Reverend Pinder, the new vicar of St Agnes Church, whose controversial changes have divided the congregation. But is there really a killer among the parishioners? And while Fran leaps at the chance to spend a weekend at Aunt Hetty’s sleuthing with Tom, could the trip prove to be a poisoned chalice in more ways than one?I loved the first book, The Magic Chair Mystery, and this follow-up didn’t disappoint. Fran, the protagonist is intelligent and sympathetic, while the mystery, set in the 1920s had plenty of period detail. Review to follow.

Immortal Creators – Book 2 of the Immortal Writers series by Jill Bowers
Sixteen-year-old author Scott Beck never wanted to be an Immortal Writer—not after his father was killed on a mission attempting to dispatch his own villain. Scott blames Shakespeare and the Writers for his father’s untimely demise, but no amount of hatred will prevent the oncoming alien attack, which has come over to reality straight from Scott’s book.
Scott is forced to collect his characters—an Air Force colonel, two of the best pilots on Earth, and an alien enthusiast from the year 2134—and defeat the alien king before Earth is obliterated by his ships. But an odd sickness Scott calls his Writing Fever might just kill him before the aliens have the chance.I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Scott is convincing as a very reluctant protagonist, who has to face up to the fact that he is the only person able to save Earth. I will be reviewing this in due course.

Spinning Thorns by Anna SheehanSleeping Beauty has woken. The world has been renewed. Everyone is living happily ever after . . . Almost.

Sharp, blood-seeking thorns still surround the castle. A feud remains between those who wield magic and those who were subjected to it. And while the kingdom is divided against itself, nothing can thrive. A rebellion may be needed – and that’s where Sleeping Beauty’s daughter comes in . . .This fairytale retelling is a delight, mashing up elements from Sleeping Beauty and Rumplestiltskin in a clever, convincing way. I posted my mini-review of this one on Amazon UK and Goodreads.

Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:

Off to North Wales for a writers’ week. Meantime a writerly warning. http://www.julietemckenna.com/?p=2972Hybrid author Juliet McKenna spells out how to spot the vanity publishers leeching off unwary writers

It was lovely spending a few days with my daughter – and getting to properly know dear little Eliza, as well as catching up with the older children. As well as having a chance to have a good old chinwag with Rebecca in the wee small hours…

Happy anniversary, Sarah! And awwwww, what a lovely way to spend a Sunday. How old is your baby granddaughter again? I know you blogged about meeting her shortly after she was born, but my sense of time has been somewhat unreliable lately…

Since I’ve been retired, I’ve found that I can enjoy a bit of exercise every day. The most difficult day is Monday, though, since my swim class and my yoga class meet on the same day. That’s a lot of exercise for one day, I think.

Good luck with your writing class! I’m sure it will be marvelous for all. I’m trying to get ready for NaNoWriMo now.

Thank you for you kind good wishes, Suzanne – last night’s class went off okay – I’ve just go the two today to get through. The first session is always my least favourite as I have to wade through so much admin – but it was lovely meeting up with my returnees and getting to know the new students.

Happy Anniversary! My husband and I celebrated our 20th this past July. Time really does fly, doesn’t it? I am so glad you had a nice visit with your daughter and grandchildren I hope the writing courses get off to a good start. Spinning Thorns sounds great, Sarah. Have a wonderful week!

Thank you for your kind words, Wendy:). And congratulations on your 20-year anniversary. It is an achievement to continue to sustain a happy relationship, I think. I’m really pleased the first sessions of my course went so well – it’s always a relief to get the first class of the year out of the way.

Oh yes, I really enjoyed Spinning Thorns and I hope you, too, are having a great week:)

Thank you for the mention. As always you write the kindest words of encouragement. I was way behind on reading your blogs (I have given you your own folder LOL.), which I am trying to remedy tonight (Thursday). Anyway, Deb Nance let me know you had listed my post as one people might enjoy reading. Thanks again!

Happy belated anniversary (if I waited a little longer, I’d be congratulating you on the 24th instead) – it’s an impressive number!
I’m also happy that you took things slow. I had a friend who didn’t want to miss two weeks of rock climbing because of a “minor finger injury”, so he ignored it, and next year it turned out to be a broken finger that grounded him for a whole season. I might be on the overcautious side, but I’m always for careful healing whenever it’s necessary, even at the cost of consistency of the exercise. 🙂

Yes… it turned out that the resulting tiredness and feeling being slightly overwhelmed was the start of something a bit more pernicious, so my instinct to take it easy was right – though looking back I think I left it a bit late to go to the dr and get it sorted out…

And many thanks for your kind good wishes for our wedding anniversary. I firmly believe that ending up with a kind, caring partner who always has your back is as much about luck as anything else, given how long we live and how different experiences change our personalities. So we are all, indeed, remarkably fortunate if we find someone who changes in the same way alongside us…